The video of Yevgeny Nuzhin revealed his savage execution in November 2022.
The cruel slaying of Yevgeny Nuzhin, a former Russian prison inmate turned turncoat, was exposed in a startling video posted by the Wagner-linked Telegram channel Grey Zone.
In the footage, Nuzhin can be observed lying on the ground with his head secured to a brick wall while an unidentified man dressed in combat gear relentlessly strikes him with a sledgehammer.
The terrifying footage has left Nuzhin’s family in a state of “terror” and disbelief.
Nuzhin, 55, was serving a 24-year prison sentence for murder when he was freed in July and recruited into the notorious Kremlin-linked private military group, Wagner.
The group, operated by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been linked to numerous war crimes and human rights abuses.
After being captured by Ukrainian forces in September, Nuzhin spoke out against the Russian leadership and expressed his desire to join the Ukrainian troops and fight against Moscow.
In a series of interviews, he also disclosed that he had joined Wagner as a means of escaping prison but quickly developed a plan to surrender to Ukraine.
Nuzhin’s son, Ilya, confirmed that the man in the video was his father but declined to comment further, citing security concerns.
He informed the Russian human rights group, Gulagu.net that the family learned of their father’s death through Telegram, which left them “terrified.”
The exact circumstances surrounding Nuzhin’s death remain unclear, but there have been unconfirmed reports that he was part of a recent Russian-Ukrainian prisoner exchange.
This news has raised concerns among human rights groups, who believe that Ukraine was responsible for protecting Nuzhin and that he should not have been exchanged due to the dangers he faced in Russia.
The head of Gulagu.net, Vladimir Osechkin, believed that all signs point to Wagner’s involvement in the killing and has plans to send a request to Russia’s authorities to launch a criminal investigation.
He also believed that Wagner could not have carried out the killing without the approval of the Russian security services.
Prigozhin slapped with western sanctions for his role in Wagner, publicly approved the killing, calling Nuzhin a “traitor.”
However, the Kremlin has sought to distance itself from the video, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stating that “it was not our business.”
Wagner has been accused of recruiting prisoners from Russia’s extensive prison system and foreign convicts in prisons across Russia, including citizens from central Asian nations.
According to reports, the group has recruited over 20,000 prisoners to fight in Ukraine.
The death of Nuzhin serves as a stark reminder of the brutal tactics used by Wagner and the dangers faced by those who fall into their grasp.
